Surrounded Why Cenk Uygur Thinks It’s All One Big Scam
Aug 10, 2025
Cenk Uygur, co-founder of The Young Turks and a vocal progressive, joins John Regalado to dissect the political landscape. They discuss how both Republicans and Democrats cater to donors, labeling the system as a scam. Cenk critiques identity politics and the need for Democrats to adopt a genuine populist approach. He expresses frustration over unfulfilled promises by Democratic leaders and highlights the growing disconnect between political elites and everyday citizens. The conversation also addresses the challenges of diversity initiatives and the potential for a third political party.
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Parties Serve Corporate Donors
- Both parties take corporate donor money and enact crony capitalism that serves elites, not voters.
- Cenk argues this corporatism is the opposite of socialism and explains why both parties align with donors.
Trump’s Populist Promise Collapsed
- Trump ran as a populist but repeatedly betrayed populist promises once in power.
- Cenk says Trump's actions favored elites and revealed similarities to establishment politics.
Populism Means Serving The Average Person
- Populism, in American terms, means serving the average American rather than the donor class or elites.
- Cenk defines populists as leaders who prioritize ordinary people's interests over establishment priorities.
